Zoo to Rehome Bats After Careful Consideration

Jersey Zoo Makes ‘Difficult Decision’ to Rehome Fruit Bats

Jersey Zoo has announced it has made the “difficult decision” to rehome its colony of Livingstone’s fruit bats.

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which operates the zoo, said it reached the decision after carefully considering the costs and logistics of repairing the Bat Tunnel — the bats’ long-time habitat.

According to the Trust, rebuilding the tunnel would cost “at least seven figures.” Curator of mammals Ben Matthews explained that restoring or replacing the facility would also require significant time and resources, including fundraising, exhibit design, planning permission, and construction.

“Sadly, we have now made the incredibly difficult decision to find our colony of bats new homes,” Mr. Matthews said.

“We weighed up the benefits of repairing the tunnel against creating a new exhibit, which we believe is the better option. Our priority has always been to ensure the best welfare for our animals.”

Rehoming the once critically endangered species is expected to take several months.

Earlier this year, in April, keepers were forced to move 70 bats into smaller groups following an outbreak of Pasteurellain the colony.

“Thanks to the swift action and dedication of our team, we were able to minimise losses,” Mr. Matthews said. “This could have been a very different story.”

Since then, the bats have been living in temporary accommodation. The zoo reports the infection has been contained and several new bat pups have since been born.

Associate veterinary officer Dave Houston added that, following the outbreak, the zoo developed a world-first vaccine for use in fruit bats.

“We’re currently trialling the vaccine on a small number of individuals before rolling it out across the colony,” Mr. Houston said.

“Our goal is to make it available to other zoos so that the work we’ve done here can help protect fruit bats globally.”

Mr. Houston said that rehoming the bats was ultimately “the right thing to do” for the continued conservation of the species.

Mammal keeper Nicola Shaw, who has cared for the bats for four years, expressed her sadness at their departure

“I’ll be incredibly sad to see our bats go — I care for all of them deeply,” she said. “But I know it’s the right decision. My focus now is on ensuring we continue to provide the very best care while we find their new homes.”

She added that the team would keep updating their care guidelines to support future bat holders.

Mr. Matthews concluded that while saying goodbye will be hard, the door remains open for bats to return one day.

“If and when the opportunity arises in the future, we would love to welcome bats back to Jersey Zoo,” he said.